The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1887-05-20
MIR. JEFFEIsSON DAVIS AT
MERIDIAN.

a puollc reception was given him
! at the Courthouse at 5 o'clock
Thursday, 18th INST. There was a
large crowd eager TO shake the no.
ble old chieftain by the hand. His
appearance at the entrance was a
signal for vociferous cheering. He
was escorted to the platform by Col.
j. IL. Mcintosh, who introduced
Mr.. Davis to the audience. He was
heartily received and at the subsi.
dence of the applause he spoke as
follows:
Fellow-c countrymen Il used to say
tellOw-citizens)-I have come from
the coast of Mississippi to meet you,
aud IN my heart wherever / am,
whether there or here, Mississip.
plans are connected with the ten
derest and most enduring objections.
When | was a young man and
first started out, it was my ambi-
ton to do something that would
ennOble her name. | have lived for
that purpose, and shall die with that
feeling in my heart. Applause.L
saw your great city in its incip.
iency, when no one could have FORE
told the grandeur to which it has
attained, tor then we did not have
steam engines and railroads. Now
with various lines of railroads con-
verging here all that has changed.
Now you have no longer to carry
your products to the sea to be trans
ported on ships to some place wherc
it can be manufactured, and the
profits reaped by others, but now
you can collect the material where
ever you choose and convert it into
factories for the manufacture of
your products.
1 have sometimes been chafed
about the New South. 1t is the
Old South. Applause.
You are in your rapid progress
going forward TO the great destiny
which surely awaits you in your for
ward march to success. Not much
was to be expected for all the South
after the desolation of war had
bIackened her homes. We have
been accused of boasting, but We
have right to boast. We have a
right to refer daily to instances.
Who did the old South produce
Washington, Jefferson, Rutledge,
Jackson, and that energetic lumina-
~ Calhoun, who rose above the
hcrizon, when it was clOuded with
the dark shades of 1912. Strongly
at once he entered the intellectual
arena.
1t was the old South that supplied
YOU with all that produced an r.
&. Lee aud a Stonewal Jackson,
your great Generals who accom-.
plished' whatever it was possible to
do
Little boys | hope you may all
grow up to be Washington, Lee,
a Jefferson, or a Jackson. A voice
cor a Davis"
We hive all gone back into the
Union. that is You have, | have not
vet (applause) aud it behoOves you
rs honorable men men to do what
ever you can to promote everything
which increases the prosperity of
he eutire country or tends toward
is success.
No man knows how much it is
possible for this great town to pro-
,ress. For you have all around You
rhat may be considered great in
ity. You are in the heart of the
oal and iron region, and amidst
lmber. You have cotton here for
he world, and why should you send
our products thousands of miles
way to be manufactured instead of
laking them at homeR
1 trust that you will all continue
} press upward IN the future as
on have done ia the past, and
mink can see the day when Mis-.
sSippi will uol only be paid tribute
, by people outside, but when she
lall make the effort others will be
to wait. That time is
1t lar distant, and my heart al
ays seems to he with whatever is
with the State OF Missis.
ppi.
| feel that / am unable to say one
llf to you that l would wish.
cd bless you all. God bless you
others, daughters, fathers and lit
Q boys, all of you, farewell, fare
ell forever. God ferVently bless
)u all.